The Portland daily press., 1887-02-28
Summary Of the Work Of Congress
Last Week.
Outline of the Work for the Present
Week.
The important Bills Yet to Be Con-
sidered.
Why the President Did Not Call an
Extra Session Of Congress.
[specialto the Press.l

| Pliation DIlS as the lateneSS OF the session
ana the backward condition Of these bills
might have given warrant to expect 1t Il
as follows:
Saturday, Feb. 19th-In the Senate, the
river and harbor bill was considered all day
without final action being taken. In the
House the committee on invalid pensions re-
ported unanimously in favor Of passing the
dependent pension bill over the Presidents
veto, and secured the printing of the report
In the Record. A resolution offered by Rep
resentative Baker of New York to set day
for the consideration of bills to admit the
| Territories of Dakota, Washington and
Montana into the Union. was taken up, and
after sharp debate. in the course Of which
Mr. Reed Of Maine administered a severe
castigation upon the Democrats for their
| policy in keeping these territories out of the
Union because they would probably be Re-
publican in politics. The resolution was re-
ferred to the committee on rules. The Sen
ate amendments to the sundrv civil bill were
then discussed until adjournment.
Monday, Senator Mitchell delivered set
speech on the manner in which the money
appropriated for the improvement of the
Columbia River, in Oregon, had been ex-
pended. The speech was about two hours in
length, and occupied the entire morning
hour, to the exclusion of all other business
At its close he was quite sharply criticized
by several senators for wasting the time of
the Senate at this late day of the session.
The river and harbor bill was then taken up
and passed, and the Nicaragua Canal bill
Qlq0 Tn fbo h.. IL
day was consumed in the discussion of the
report Of the. conference committee on the
bill to repeal the laws for the preemption of
the public laws, and a further conference
was ordered.
On Tuesday. in the Senate, the District Of
Columbia and military appropriation bills
were passed, and consideration of the-bill
creating department of agriculture and la
Dor was commenced. In the House. which
met at II O'Clock, a vetoed private pension
bill was taken up, but the House refused
ayes 13l, nays "a, less than two-thirds-to
pass it over the veto. The consideration of
the Senate amendments to the sundry civil
bill was completed, and the bill sent to con-
ference and the consideration Of the Senate
mail and steamship amendment to the post
Office appropriation bill was begun. At
O'Clock the resolutions Of respect to the men,
ory of the late Senator Pike came up, and
several eulogies were delivered. The finest
OF the afternoon was that Of ex-Gov. Long
of Massachusetts,. 1t was very brief, but
masterpiece of eloquence. The closing pas
sage may be worth quoting, and was as fol-
lows: 1T was the fitness Of poetical justice
that, not here in Washington, but in his.own
New Hampshire home, death claimed him
amid the Incompatible beauty and glory of
the New Hampshire autumn sunshine-in
the open air Of that paradise Of mountain,
and lake, and farm, and field, to which every
New Hampshire heart is loyal, and on the
acres won and cultivated by his own hand.
There, as peacefully as his own blameless
life had run, as serenely as his kind face
beamed, came the end. The angel, who is
even tenderer and gentler than her sister
sleep, had indeed walked at his side so long
that he recognized her as the blessed angel
of mans succor and peace. She had waited
till their walk that bright day, over the
pleasantest fields and under the blue sky,
gave the opportunity happiest for her and
for him. Then she gathered her arms about
him. His head fell upon her shoulder, even
as he went. And, lol he was at rest in the
mansions of his Fathers house."
Wednesday, the Senate passed the bill ere
ating department of agriculture and labor,
with an amendment transferring the signal
service bureau to this department. The
pleuro-pneumonia bill was then briefly con-
sidered, being finally set aside temporarily to
fol H. H.. .
the bill to relieve Thomas S. Hopkins. for
merly private in Co. G, 10th Maine Volun-
teers, from the limitation of the arrears of
pension" act. In the House, the Senate
fishery retaliation bill was reported, with the
recommendation that the bill prepared by
the committee on foreign relations be substi-
tuted for it. After spirited debate, this
was done, BY vote of 1877 to 1874 An
amendment adding as a new section Mr..
Dingley's bill to prohibit and punish foreign
vessels for fishing in American waters, was
adopted, and the bill as amended was adopt
ed by vote of 256 to 1. Consideration of
the Senate amendment to the post Office ap-
preparation bill was then resumed, and occu-
pied the time until adjournment.
Thursday. the Senate was occupied until 2
O'Clock with House bills on the calendar, and
several of minor import were passed. After
O'Clock the pleuro-pneumoni bill was re-
sumed and considered until late hour in
the evening, without action being taken. The
day in the House was the most important
one Of the session, the veto Of the dependent
pension bill coming up for action. AT II
o'clock the vote was taken upon the post of
fee appropriation bill and the Senate "subsi-
dy'' amendment was non-concurred in by a
vote Of 157 to 13O The dependent pension
bill was then taken up and discussed until 4
o'clock, when the vote was taken, and the
House by the vote of 175 ayes to 125 nays re-
fused to pass the bill over the veto. The de-
bate, which was very interesting one, was
listened to by the largest crowd which has
visited the House during this congress. Ev-
cry gallery was filed with an eager throng,
which earnestly followed every word of the
debate. The announcement of the result
was greeted with mingled applause and hiss.
es, the former on the Democratic, the latter
on the Republican side. The consideration
of the naval appropriation bill was then be-
gun.
Thursday, in the Senate, John J. ingalls,
| OF Kansas was elected President pro tempore
to succeed John Sherman of Ohio, who re-
signed. A resolution offered the day before
| by Senator Hoar Of Massachusetts, declar-
| ing it TO be the sense Of the Senate that in
the existing state of circumstances no nego-
tiation should be undertaken with Great Bri-
tain in regard to existing difficulties with
Canada. that has for its object the reduction,
change or abolition of any of our existing
duties or imports, was taken up, and after
debate was referred to the committee on
finance. The pleuro-pneumonia bill was
then taken up and considered until a late
hour in the afternoon, when it was Temporal
rily laid aside to enable Senator Miller to as
certain what provision was made in the agri-
cultural appropriation bill for the purposes
proposed to be accomplished by the bill. The
resolution authorizing an investigation OF
the affairs Of the Pacific railroads was taken
up, and after recess from o'clock until 8,
a night session was held, and the resolution
was agreed to. In the House. under a sus'
pension Of the rules, the agricultural expert
ment station was passed. The naval appro.
priation bill was then taken up and consid
cred until adjournment
/ The neA.~--s- E~&.. CAaeI4s.